What does "perforate" mean?
To pierce; to penetrate.
Perforate
/ˈpəːfəreɪt/ adj, verb
adj, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To pierce; to penetrate.
- Grammar: perforate is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: penetrate, punch, aerating, auger.
- Useful contrasts: unpierced, block, close.
- Usage evidence: Amoebic dysentery is a type of diarrheal disease that affects millions around the globe annually. Passed around by contaminated water, amoebas get into people's intestines, causing bloody diarrhea. If left untreated, these single-cell organisms can eventually perforate the intestines, spread throughout the body and kill the host. As Rose Hoban reports, researchers are learning more about the amoeba's ability to outwit the body's immune system.
How to use "perforate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "perforate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "perforate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "perforate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "perforate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "perforate" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "penetrate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "perforate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To pierce; to penetrate. transitive
- 2 pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance wordnet
- 3 To make a line of holes in (a thin material) to allow separation at the line. transitive
"to perforate a sheet of postage stamps"
- 4 make a hole into or between, as for ease of separation wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Perforated. not-comparable, obsolete
"An Earthen Pot perforate at the Bottom to let in the Plant."
- 2 Perforated, having a hole. not-comparable, obsolete
"Suche abuses can not be longe hydde frome princis, that haue their eares perforate (as is the prouerbe)."
- 3 Perforated. not-comparable
"A species of remarkable appearance with mature leaf laminae often so profoundly perforate as to resemble a fragile net of tissue."
Adjective
- 1 having a hole cut through wordnet
Example
"Amoebic dysentery is a type of diarrheal disease that affects millions around the globe annually. Passed around by contaminated water, amoebas get into people's intestines, causing bloody diarrhea. If left untreated, these single-cell organisms can eventually perforate the intestines, spread throughout the body and kill the host. As Rose Hoban reports, researchers are learning more about the amoeba's ability to outwit the body's immune system."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "perforate"?
Common synonyms include: penetrate, punch, aerating, auger, bite, bore.
How do you use "perforate" in a sentence?
Amoebic dysentery is a type of diarrheal disease that affects millions around the globe annually. Passed around by contaminated water, amoebas get into people's intestines, causing bloody diarrhea. If left untreated, these single-cell organisms can eventually perforate the intestines, spread throughout the body and kill the host. As Rose Hoban reports, researchers are learning more about the amoeba's ability to outwit the body's immune system.
How do you pronounce "perforate"?
Pronounced /ˈpəːfəreɪt/.
Etymology
The adjective is first attested in 1425, in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English perforat(e) (“perforated, pierced”), borrowed from Latin perforātus, the perfect passive participle of perforō (“to bore or pierce through, to perforate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from per- (“through, thorough”) + forō (“to bore, pierce”). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.